Northwest Snags F-T July Topper

Northwest Stud Makes a Splash 
The Iadisernia family’s Northwest Stud, which enjoyed a profitable pinhooking spring at the juvenile sales, restocked with flair Monday at Fasig-Tipton July, going to a sale-topping $550,000 to secure a colt (hip 154) by Cowboy Cal. General Manager Alfredo Lichoa handled the bidding assignment on the yearling, who is a half-brother to 
GII Rebel S. winner and GI Santa Anita Derby runner-up Hoppertunity (Any Given Saturday), as well as to multiple Grade I winner Executiveprivilege (First Samurai). 
“He is from a very nice family and he is one of the best-looking horses in the sale,” Lichoa said. “He met all our criteria for the sales for pinhooking. He went for a little bit more than we thought, but we thought he was one of the best horses in the sale. 
We hope to see him at a select sales in March.” 
Lichoa added, “There are few horses that meet your criteria when you want to go that high. This was a little riskier than we thought, but we know the broodmare is very good and she has a very, very good pedigree. We know Hoppertunity, he may be doing very good stuff by the Breeders’ Cup, so that helped a lot.” 
The price tag may seem high for a pinhooking prospect, but the formula worked for Northwest this past spring. The operation, based in Ocala, spent $550,000 to purchase a colt by Giant’s Causeway at last year’s Keeneland September sale. Returned to the sales ring this year, the colt was the $1.6-million co-topper at OBS March. 
“You are the only one who puts a ceiling on how much you want to pay for a horse,” Lichoa said. “We came here and looked at all the horses in the sale and this one was really the only one that met all our criteria. It’s no good to go to the sales with 40 horses–it’s better to go with 10 with quality. The risk is bigger, but we think we are ready.” 
Northwest was back in the market for quality a little later in the afternoon, going to $400,000 to obtain 
hip 190, a son of Harlan’s Holiday. The yearling is out of Invitation (Vindication), a half-sister to MG1SP Tomahawk (Seattle Slew). He was consigned by Michael and Julia O’Quinn, agent. 
“We put a limit on it again, but you have to go past your limit for a horse you think is the best,” Lichoa said after signing for his second yearling. “That’s the way of the game. We came here yesterday and we looked at all the horses and we thought they were the two best horses in the sale.” 

Cowboy Cal Colt Already a Pinhooking Success 
Regardless of what the Fasig July topper does at the juvenile sales next year for Northwest Stud, the colt is already a pinhooking success. McMahon and Hill Bloodstock purchased the youngster for $145,000 as a weanling at last year’s Keeneland November sale. 
“We thought he would be the best horse here and we put him in here to stand out,” said Mike McMahon. “[Fasig-Tipton’s] Bill Graves did a great job recruiting him.” 
“He has been a very good horse who never had a bad day,” McMahon added. “Obviously, the update with Hoppertunity helped a lot. We were excited and thought he could bring a lot of money, but you never know what they are going to bring.” 
Asked what attracted him to the colt as a yearling, McMahon explained, “We actually really liked Hoppertunity. That was the first attraction. We already knew that the mare was producing well. Hoppertunity wasn’t on the page, but his physical was extraordinary and the rest was just trying to buy him.” 
McMahon said the yearling was, “A 10.” He continued, “There is nothing to dislike about him physically. He is a big, strong, precocious, early type of horse.” 
The yearling, consigned by Hidden Brook, agent, is out of the graded-stakes placed Refugee (Unaccounted For). In addition to Executiveprivilege and Hoppertunity, the 16-year-old mare has also produced stakes placed Profit (Not for Love). She was purchased, with this foal in utero, for $480,000 out of the 2012 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky November sale. She produced a filly by War Front this spring. Both the yearling and the weanling were bred by Barronstown Stud. 
McMahon said buyers were being selective as the yearling sales season began Monday. 
“It’s a little picky here,” he said. “They are not all selling well. I think buyers approach this sale looking for a special type horse. Then, if they latch on to one, they are willing to go a little further if they have to. There are certainly good buys here and it’s just a matter of getting it all perfect. And this time it worked for us.”